Leadership Lunch: The Hon Alan Tudge MP - New ways needed to address poverty

The Australian taxpayer pays considerable support for people in need, but the problems of poverty seem intractable. So, what other issues should we be thinking through? Family breakdown, drug and alcohol abuse, indigenous disadvantage, poor educational outcomes all feed into the current culture of poverty that seems impossible to resolve. New and creative intellectual policy ideas need to be considered and the Minister outlined some of these. The primary approach to tackling child poverty over the last 30 years – higher income support payments and more community services – will not provide the solution to significantly reducing entrenched impoverishment over the next 30 years. Rather, we will have to collectively address what I call the ‘pathways to poverty’ more systemically. These include welfare and other dependencies, poor education standards and family breakdown. This is the focus of much of the government’s efforts. ____________________ The Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) promotes free choice and individual liberty, and defends cultural freedom and the open exchange of ideas. CIS encourages debate among leading academics, politicians, media and the public. We aim to make sure good policy ideas are heard and seriously considered so that Australia can continue to prosper into the future. Check out the CIS at - https://www.cis.org.au/ Subscribe to CIS mailing list- https://www.cis.org.au/subscribe/ Support us with a tax-deductible donation at - https://www.cis.org.au/support/ Join the CIS as a member at - https://www.cis.org.au/join-cis/ Follow CIS on Socials Twitter - https://twitter.com/CISOZ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CentreIndependentStudies/ Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-centre-for-independent-studies/?viewAsMember=true